


The Prices You Have To Pay When You're A Hero

by MarionettePuppet



Series: This Is Not A Game [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir Angst, Akuma Attack, Angst, Gen, Hurt Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Hurt Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Hurt/Comfort, Marinette Dupain-Cheng Angst, Nightmare, Nightmares, Original Akuma, Panic Attacks, Scars, Violence, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-04
Updated: 2020-04-19
Packaged: 2021-02-28 16:27:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,098
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23480200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MarionettePuppet/pseuds/MarionettePuppet
Summary: Scars are something any hero, solider or warrior will always have.Be it scars people can see or scars that only the person's mind will show.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Plagg, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Tikki
Series: This Is Not A Game [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1672654
Comments: 12
Kudos: 312





	1. Marinette’s View

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [These Battle Scars Don't Look Like They're Fading (Don't Look Like They're Ever Goin' Away)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14386914) by [uaigneach](https://archiveofourown.org/users/uaigneach/pseuds/uaigneach). 



> This book will focus on the visual scars mainly but I might do chapters on the nightmares Marinette and Adrien get later.

Marinette noticed it after a particularly hard patrol.

Tikki had collapsed along with Marinette, face first onto her bed. Groaning she lifted her self up of her bed and down the ladder, her bones feeling as if they were on fire. After grabbing her pyjamas, she took off her top only to spot something that made her heart stop and her entire body freeze like ice.

Her back was covered in a hundred scars, most were small but there was a giant claw right across her back. The realisation hit her like a ton of bricks, of course, she had been fighting monsters every other day, being thrown through bricks and glass while getting up like it was nothing. Getting swiped at by the claws and jaws of Akumas but not even feeling the pain until she detransformed and only then it was just her bones aching which was similar to the feeling she would get after PE. While it was magic, there is only so much it can do, it would have limits even the one wish that could make anything happen had to be paid with a price.

Marinette turned round to fully face the mirror, there was another claw mark across her stomach, bite marks and small scars on her arms, there was a scar that wrapped around her waist multiple times. It was an Akuma from a month ago, it was rock climber who had been abandoned on a trip after being cut off by a rock slide. Luckily survived and made it back to Paris with there team but as he entered Paris, due to them still angry with the people who left him, he attracted an Akuma. He used his ropes like whips, each made of a different element. The earth one had been made of thorns and had managed to grab Marinette out of the sky and onto the hard concrete. At the time she had felt anything but she can see now, that it was magic of the miraculous protecting her from the pain.

“Tikki” whispered Marinette, lifting her head towards the biscuit tin she kept in her room,  
“Yes, Marinette” replied Tikki whose voice was muffled by a biscuit she was eating,  
“These scars are from Akuma’s aren’t they” Marinette questioned but it sounded more like a statement. “Shit” the kwami hissed causing Marinette to raise her eyebrows in surprise. They raised even higher when she realised the scars had disappeared,  
“Tikki…” Marinette said slowly.

“I’m sorry, I should have told you but you’re the perfect holder for the ladybug miraculous...I-” Tikki sighed, “-I just didn’t want you to live in fear because it would get you killed if you focused on it or you could have given back the miraculous and I didn’t want to lose you”.  
Tikki sounded on the verge of tears before Marinette cradle her next to her cheek, “I understand Tikki, I should have realised, I know the danger” Marinette replied, “It’s not your fault it’s mine-” Marinette cut Tikki off, “I understand you had your reasons but Tikki, if I’m going to be a good Ladybug, you should keep these things from me no matter how much it may scare me”, Tikki nodded.

“As much as stuff like this may scare me at this point I would not leave Paris without its protector...no let’s get some rest, we are both tired” sighed Marinette, hugging Tikki, she went to finish getting dressed. The scars had returned which Marinette assumed was because Tikki was too tired to hid them, there were more on her leg but at this point, Marinette was too tired to care. Setting her alarm, she lay in be hoping there would be no nightmares tonight.


	2. Adrien's View

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time for Adrien's reaction to his scars.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right, so I struggled with this chapter as I didn't want it exactly the same Marinette's but I think I accomplished making different enough to say that it isn't a carbon copy.

Adrien realised quite quickly which was something Plagg expected. I mean come on the kid was a model, something that made him focus on having flawless skin.

The patrol had been hard. Not because of an Akuma, no, it was an armed robbery so dodging bullets while protecting civilians from those bullets take a lot of energy. So by the time he finally detransformed, he was ready to collapse face-first onto his floor. Grabbing his pyjamas, he started to get dressed.

He was so close to falling asleep that his eyes were more closed than open. He almost missed the scars. He blinked a couple of times in case he was imaging it but no he wasn’t and that turned his blood in his veins turn ice cold. He has seen this before sometimes when he got dressed or when it was too hot and took off his jacket seeing small claw or bite marks only for them to disappear, it happens so quickly he thought he was imaging it but apparently not. He never brought it up with Plagg since the Kwami had a habit of no answering some more serious questions when it came to his miraculous.

“What the…” whispered Adrien as he touched the biggest scar he had which looked like he cut in half a sword. There were more scars everywhere, head to toe, claw marks, bite marks, slashes and the oddest one which was a handprint on his back that was burned into his skin. 

“Kid, how long does it take-” Plagg cut himself off after he saw what Adrien was doing, “Plagg, why do I have so many scars?” asked Adrien without emotion, similar to his father. “Well, kid, being a superhero leaves its mark” sighed Plagg who was not one for being the best with emotions like Tikki or Nooroo was. “Than why have I never seen these before?” asked Adrien.

‘For this long’ he added mentally, “because me and Tikki rather not have you deal with constantly looking at these, you and Ladybug already have enough of a problem with nightmares, we didn’t want to make it worse with you seeing constant reminders of your hardest battles” Plagg explained floating closer to Adrien. 

“Kid, I have been covering them up with magic and will continue too but take this as a lesson to take things more seriously sometimes my magic might be enough to cover certain scars” contained Plagg, “I-fine but stop hiding things from me” replied Adrien pulling his top on and flopping onto his bed. “Agreed, now get some sleep you have school tomorrow,” said Plagg patting Adrien’s head before curling up onto the pillow next to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Might come back and edit this later since I'm not actually happy with how this turned out but I had no other ideas for this chapter so right now this is all I've got.


	3. Ladybug's Nightmare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Can be a superhero without having a couple of nightmares, Right?  
> Especially when you're the one with the power to fix everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Told you guys I would write chapters on their nightmare.

She couldn’t breathe, her body was ice cold and all she saw was red, red the colour of Chat Noir’s blood that was currently everywhere. “Oh god, Chat!” she screamed as she ran over to him, “oh my god, Chat, I’m so sorry” she exclaimed as she cradled him.

She knew she should paying attention to the battle but that didn’t matter at that moment. “I’m so so sorry” Ladybug sobbed before looking up, only to see the Akuma pulling the trigger of their gun and then blackness and the ringing of the gun filled her senses.

Marinette woke up gasping for air, sweat running down her face and tears in her eyes as she sat there and sobbed. “I should have been faster” she muttered on repeat while she cried.

“Marinette Marinette” exclaimed Tikki trying to gain her holder’s attention,

“Marinette, calm down” the Kwami shouted as she lifted Marinette’s face up making sure her Holder’s focus was on her,

“Tikki?” she asked puzzled as she looked around her room,

“Yes Mari, it’s me, this is your room, you’re fine, Chat Noir is fine, there’s no battle,” Tikki said slowly as she knew Marinette’s brain was currently cloud with too much sleep for her to think straight.

“Oh...right...I…” Marinette trailed off as she whipped away her tears,

“Marinette, are you ok?” asked Tikki while she kept an eye out for an Akuma,

“Yes...wait no...I don’t know” Marinette muttered as she climbed down her ladder while Tikki trailed behind her, 

“Nightmare?” the kwami question as she helped Marinette down the trap door ladder and into the kitchen,

“There was so much blood Tikki” Marinette whispered grabbing a glass and turned on the kitchen tap, “So much”.

“I’m sorry Marinette” replied Tikki petting her holder’s hair while they down the water like their life depended on it.

“I know Tikki, I know” Marinette stated making another glass of water,

“I wish there was something I could do but magic that helps mind is not something I have control over” Tikki replied grabbing a blanket from a cupboard as Marinett grabbed her tablet that she had left downstairs and sat on the couch, 

“I’m going to see if Adrien’s awake and if he is I’ll chat with him, if not I’ll watch something on youtube” Marinette stated while Tikki made sure she was bundled up in the blanket before resting on Marinette’s shoulder, 

“As long as you’re happy” Tikki yawned.

Turned out Adrien was not up so Marinette watched Videos until the sun started to rise while she fell asleep only to be woken up by her mother three hours later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since most people wanted a new update for this series soon, I decided to finish off this part of the story before I write another part.


	4. Chat Noir's Nightmare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nightmares are common for heroes who shield the people they care about from attacks.  
> Especially when they know at some people there may be a time when they can't protect their loved ones.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An update the very next day, what are the odds.

Cold, ice-cold was what Chat Noir was feeling right now. Opening his eyes, he saw water for miles, it covered most of Paris and the buildings it didn’t were frozen solid. Looking around he saw that he was atop of TVi studio on the edge of the highest point to be exact.

Chat rubbed his eyes in confusion when he noticed his gloves, they were white like the rest of his costume. “What the hell?” he muttered when he saw his face in the mirror, his hair was pure white and eyes ice blue. “What in kwamis name?” he questions as he steps back in surprise forgetting he was on the edge of a skyscraper. Chat yeps when he falls backwards, no reacting in time to catch himself as he plummets off the building and into the cold ocean of water below.

Luckily he held his breath when hit the water so he wasn't drowning but it was still a bad fall as he hit the old Paris streets below.

Opening his eyes, he looked around and notice something or someone in the distance. As he got closer, he realised it was Ladybug and Hawkmoth frozen in place, reaching out to someone and the was a nagging thought in his mind that said that person was him. He swam over to ladybug noticing she was brown like the items he used his cataclysm before they dusted.

Chat reach out to stroke her cheek but as soon as he touched her, she began to crumble into dust. Chat yelp in surprise and horror forgetting that he was underwater, started to chock. Swimming upwards in order to save himself, he so close but blacked out before reach topside.

Adrien woke up gasping and gagging for air. He couldn’t breathe...HE COULDN’T BREATHE! 

“Adrien, Adrien” yelled a tiny voice that his brain recognised as Plagg but was too focused on not being able to breathe to answer, “Adrien, calm down you’re having a panic attack” spoked Plagg grabbing his holder’s face and making Adrien focus on him only. 

“A...panic attack” Adrien replied slowly as he started to slow down his breathing,

“Yes, a panic attack, you had a nightmare” answered Plagg. 

Adrien didn’t reply as he ran over to his windows and open the, feeling the cold night air (not water) all over his face. “I’m fine” he whispered seeing his reflection in the window, his eye was their normal green and his hair was back to light blonde. 

“Kid, you want to talk about what just happened?” asked Plagg while handing Adrien a bottle of cold water from Adrien’s mini-fridge,

“No...nnot really” replied Adrien sipping the water slowly as he watched cars pass on the street below,

“Right then, well how about you contact Marinette” responded Plagg noting that Adrien tensed as soon as he mentioned Tikki’s holder, “it might help you calm down”,

“Yeah, you’re probably right” Adrien responded making his way over to the computer.

Plagg grabbed a blanket for his holder as Adrien turned on his computer and opened up discord knowing that Marinette didn’t really answer skype calls this late. Luckily his lady was still awake finishing off some last-minute commissions so was happy to chat with him.

Marinette didn’t question why he was awake this late and happily rambled on while Adrien sat there and listened. She knew that he wouldn't be calling at this time unless something bad happened and he didn’t want to talk about it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally finished this book, check out the rest of the series if you haven't already.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, not dead, my mental health just crashed and my parents are keeping me away from always being on the internet. I'm much better now so hopefully, the next chapter will be soon.


End file.
